Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookies

After the Christmas vacation, I got some confectioneries gift form one of my expat colleague. In the pack there were 2 packets of caramel butterscotch chips. I had no clue, what to do with this.  That when I started searching in the net, for some appropriate recipe where I can use this.   And finally I found this recipe in “allrecipe.com”. Tried it with some variation according to what was locally available.  It was fantastic. The crispiness of oats after baking is wonderful.  If you don’t have butterscotch chips your replace it with easily available chocolate chips or some nuts.

But do try it the kids would love it.  

 

Ingredient

Salted butter  – 100gm

White sugar – ¾  up

Brown sugar – ¾ cup

Eggs – 2

All purpose flour/ maida – 1 ¼ cup

Baking powder – 1tsp

Ground cinnamon – ½ tsp

Rolled oats – 3 cups

Vanilla essence – 1tsp

1 cup – caramel butterscotch chips (u can use chocolate chips)

Method

1.    Preheat the oven to 190 degree Celsius. 

2.    In a bowl beat butter, white and brown sugar. Let it mix nicely.

3.    Mix together flour, baking powder and cinnamon powder.

4.    Add this flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.

5.    Now add the oats and butterscotch chips and mix well.

6.     Line a baking sheet with butter paper.

7.    Now take a lemon size portion of the batter, roll it and flatten it .  place it on the baking sheet.  Make the rest of the cookies.

8.    Bake it for 10 min at 190 degree C. 

Lamb Stew

Appam and lamb stew is one of every malayali’s favorite Sunday breakfast. Here is the recipe of lamb stew.  Due to my laziness many a times I use tetrapaked ( Dabar Hommade) coconut milk instead of fresh coconut milk. The advantage of using tetrapak coconut milk is that even if you cook it for a long time the milk will not curdle.

So, do try it and enjoy.  And send in your suggestion.

Ingredient

Lamb – ½ kg

Oil – 1 tbsp

Cinnamon stick – 2” big stick

Cloves – 8

Green cardamom – 4

Black peppercorn – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 sliced long

Green chillies – 2 slit into half ( you can increase according to taste)

Ginger – 1tsp, cut into long strip

Garlic – 6, sliced long

Curry leaves – few

Maida / refined flour – 1 tbsp

Coconut milk – 200ml (I have used Dabar hommade tetrapak , u can use fresh coconut milk)

Potato – 1 cut lengthwise

Carrot – 1 cut lengthwise

Beans – 5 cut lengthwise

Peas – ½ cup

Salt – as per taste

Method

1.    In a pan heat oil and sauté the whole spice (cinnamon, clove, cardamom & black peppercorn).  This should be done in low flame till the peppercorn crackles.

2.   To this add onion, green chilli, ginger, garlic & curry leaves. Sauté for a min. Remove these masala from the oil and keep in a bowl.

3.    In the same oil sauté the flour in a very low flame for a few second.

4.    Now add the meat and cook for 5- 8 min till the water of the meat comes out and cooks by itself.

5.    To this add the onion mixture prepare in step 1&2.  Mix nicely.

6.   Now add the vegetable and salt. Cover and cook for 10 min or till it is cooked. 
 

Bharwan Lal Mirch Achar / Stuffed Red chilly Pickle

The big red chillies are in abundance during winter season. And we get it only during this season.  The vibrant color of it really attracts me, and thus end up buying it without knowing what to do with it.  But this time I was sure I wanted to make this pickle when I was buying it.  I browsed through the internet, found many variation of the recipe.  So did some mix and match and came out with this recipe.  

So, please try it and put in your suggestion.  

Ingredient

Long red Chilly – 10

Oil – approx. 1 cup

For the spice stuffing

Sauf/ Fennel seeds – 2tbsp

Jeera / Cumin Seeds – 2tbsp

Methi dhana/  Fenugreek seeds – 1tbsp

Rai / mustard seeds – 2tbsp

Kalonji / Nigella seeds – ½ tbsp.

Amchur powder / Dry mango powder – 2tbsp

Sea Salt – 3 tbsp

Haldi / Turmeric powder – 1tsp

Hing / Asafetida – ½ tsp

Vegetable oil – 2tbsp

Method

To prepare the spice filling

1.  In a pan dry roast on low heat the Sauf, jeera, methi, Rai and kalonji till a nice aroma come i.e about 3 to 4 min.

2.   Remove it to a clean plate and let it cool.

3.   Coarsely grind this roasted spice along with haldi, amchur, salt and hing. Don’t  grinding into a fine paste or powder. 

4.   Transfer this into a dry bowl add 2 tbsp of oil and mix well.  The stuffing is ready.

To prepare the red chilli pickle 

5.   Wash the chilli in water and dry it completely on a kitchen towel. There should be no moisture left.
6.    Now cut the stem of all the chilli.
7.    This is the most important part.  Slit the chilli right through the center lengthwise, making sure that the ends are intact.
8.    Remove the seed.  ( you can add these seeds with the  spice filling – optional)
9.    Stuff the chilli with the spice mixture. The stuffy should be filled completely.
10.   When all the chillies are filled, place the chilli vertically in a clean dry glass jar with the stem side on the top.
11.  Pore 1 cup of oil on top of the stuffed chilli.
12.  Place this bottle where there is direct sunlight for 5day.
13.  It is ready to eat.